We start to tour the Virgins

Ahhh! Honeymoon Beach!

Carl needs a hair cut!

With Carnival over, and having explored St Thomas, we decide to see more of the Virgin Islands. We started by going to Water Island Honeymoon beach for the Monday beach movie, and would start off the next day.

We try to avoid the rain at Off The Grid

However, before we left we heard from our friends, Greg and Lizann, on Lagniappe. They contacted us and said they would be in St Thomas the next day. So we met them and the next day took them around the island to get odds and ends they wanted. It was a spotty day with a few showers coming through, and we decided to take them to Off the Grid for lunch. It’s a food truck with barbeque pork. We no sooner got off the Safari and it started to pour down rain! We tried to hide under a shade canvas to no avail and after 10 minutes we were all soaked and decided to press on to Tutu shopping center and lunch at Subway. Of course it stopped raining.

They left the next day to get to Grenada for hurricane season and we headed to St John where we visited Cruz Bay. They had just finished hosting a music festival and we were surprised to find Woodys and Across the Street both closed! Apparently the festival had worn out the staff so they closed for two day to rest. So we headed to Castaways and had drinks and dinner.

Alan at Oppenhemer's Beach

We pressed on to Maho where we took an inside mooring to experience what it must have been like in the 1400s. In there at night it is totally dark and you can’t see any of St Thomas or the BVI. The only light were the boats in the Bay and one dim street lamp high on the hill.

Part of the plantation

deer in the woods at Maho

Snorkeling at Maho

Arrow crab at Maho

Cinnamon Bay cottages

part of the Cinnamon Bay ruins

Ah yes! Leverick Bay Resort

We then went to the BVI. It was an up wind beat, of course, to North Sound and we had to motor a couple times to avoid shoals without tacking backwards. We made it to Leverick Bay in time for the Friday pig roast and Jumbies party, which was a blast!

 

Someone gave the Jumbies a
doll

A Helicopter takes off  for the Poker Run

The finish line at Leverick Bay

The resort was all getting ready for the Sunday Poker Run! This is where boats go to several different places to pick up cards and bring them back to Leverick where there is a big party and the winning poker hands are decided. The winner gets $10,000! 

Some of the boats waiting to start

I don't know if they are doing the Poker Run

There are a ton of fast boats as the card stops are a ways apart and any time you get two boats together going the same direction there is a race. Some of these boats are long and fast! The stops are Scrub Cay Resort, Jost Van Dyke, Normand Island, and Spanish Town.

Poker Run tattoos are found in the strangest places

Phantom's Skull at the Baths

 We watched the beginning of the run then got a car to the Baths where we went through the rocks and had a snorkel before going to the Top of the Baths for a late lunch.

A Catamaran seen through the Baths

The Baths from Devil's Bay

One of the front runners of the Poker Run speeds by

There we watched some of the front runners of the Poker Run speed by on their way to Spanish Town.

The party at Leverick Bay

Some of the Poker Run boats
at the party

We returned to Leverick to a great party in swing! At sundown they announced the winners and the boats mostly took off except for the die hards. The next morning the place was deserted and you wouldn’t know there was party the night before. 

They had a fashion show at the party

Leverick Bay from Hog Heaven

We had the car until noon so we drove up to Hog Heaven to see the view to Anegada, but it was hazy so you couldn’t see very far. We had lunch there before heading back to the resort to turn in the car and get ready to continue our tour of the BVIs.